Ready for Winter!

Lightning Hazard Map

I have a friend whose mother was killed by lightning (or indirectly killed.) Her death wasn't instantaneous. She worked in a doctor's office and while walking from the parking lot (a short walk from her car) into the doctor's building, she was struck.  She died three days later.  A year or so before she had, apparently and successfully, fought off cancer (colon cancer, I think). She was in the clear having completed all her chemo and radiation treatments. Cancer-free!!! It's all hard to fathom, but the lightning strike, apparently, awakened her cancer 10 tenfold +. It ravished her body and she died. I'm sort of skeptical, but I'm not going to challenge my friend's belief that this is what happened to his mother.

-----Still, I did some additional research on my own:

"There is no scientific evidence that a lightning strike can awaken dormant cancer. The documented effects of a lightning strike are primarily neurological, cardiac, and thermal — including brain injury, seizures, cardiac arrest, burns, and long-term cognitive issues — but none of the medical literature links the electrical discharge to reactivating dormant tumor cells.

While research (e.g., from the Wistar Institute) has shown that stress hormones can awaken dormant cancer cells, the extreme acute stress of a lightning strike has never been shown to produce this effect in any documented case. The mechanism identified involves sustained elevation of norepinephrine and specific proteins (S100A8/A9) in immune cells over time, not a single electrical event.

There are a few unverified anecdotal reports of lightning "curing" chronic conditions (including one 1932 claim of cancer remission), but these are not supported by medical evidence and are considered coincidences or misdiagnoses."

Orange Church of God

The Orange Church of God-Embassy of Grace is a Pentecostal place of worship located in Orange, Texas.  The church has been in business for over 20 years and identifies with the Church of God denomination.

 Even though the church is real, this sign appears to be AI-generated. (Thanks @JungleGeorge for raising this possibility and prompting me to do some more research.) I am embarrassed to be fooled, but I won't erase this post for that reason. I think it is important to show that we all make mistakes and we should face up to them...

Vending Machine (Campbell's Soup)

 Thank you, Luke.

Fashion

This shirt retails for $1,139

Winnie the Pooh

 Getting fabric aligned properly is so important!

Thanks, Jeff.

Peeps

Thanks, Jeff.

Old Flappy-Pants-Pappy Himself!

The Jags

 The Fantabulous Jags? They must have taken over the beauty parlor one day, bumping little old ladies from "getting their hair done." The Jag that looks the oddest to me is the one on the far right. I could go on and on about this...

Thanks, again,  Luke. (If you have fun photos to share, like Luke, please email them to me!)

Meat Magic

Notice that there is no photo ... either of the magic meat or even the can. Cartoon drawings don't count.
Thanks, Luke! 

Johnny Cash (1968)

 Johnny Cash performing at Folsom Prison (January 13, 1968)

Finger-Counting

The "German" way of showing three — thumb, index, and middle finger — is the standard convention across most of continental Europe. 

Countries that use it include:

France

Austria

Switzerland

Italy

Spain (though some Spanish speakers report using the index-first method

Poland

Slovakia

Netherlands (most Dutch people count from the thumb, though they often use index + middle for "two").

This "thumb-first" system (thumb = 1, index = 2, middle = 3, etc.) is contrasted with the "index-first" system used in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and parts of Russia, where three is shown with the index, middle, and ring fingers. 

The difference is studied under the term dactylonomy (finger-counting), and it varies even within individual countries — some British people, for example, use the thumb-first method as well.

The movie "Inglourious Basterds" has a scene about this.

Batman and Mr. Spock (1967)

 Adam West (Batman) and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock)

WikiScanner (2007)

WikiScanner (also known as Wikipedia Scanner) was a publicly searchable database that linked anonymous edits on Wikipedia to the organizations where those edits apparently originated. It did this by cross-referencing the edits with data on the owners of the associated block of IP addresses, though it did not investigate edits made under a username. It was created by Virgil Griffith and released on August 13, 2007.

WikiScanner only worked on anonymous edits, which at the time revealed the user's IP address, not edits by anyone logged in under a username. It could not distinguish between edits made by authorized users of an organization, unauthorized intruders, or users of public-access computers that may have been using an organization's network. 

WikiScanner found that some editorial contributions to Wikipedia had originated from computers operated by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Vatican.

The Associated Press reported on August 15, 2007, that computers owned by the Church of Scientology had been used to remove criticism from articles about Scientology on Wikipedia, including edits to the article Cult Awareness Network. The Associated Press admitted that edits to Wikipedia had been made anonymously from its own computers, though the news organization did not describe the content of the edits.

Edits by other large organizations, including Amnesty International, Apple Inc., ChevronTexaco, Coca-Cola, the British Conservative Party, Dell, ExxonMobil, the FBI, The Guardian, Microsoft, MySpace, the National Rifle Association of America, Nestlé, News of the World, the New York Times, the Royal Dutch Shell, Government of Portugal, the US Republican Party, Reuters, Sony, the United Nations, Pepsi, and Walmart.

Reuters reported that CIA computers were used to edit an article regarding the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq, including editing a chart showing casualties. CIA computers also edited the article for former CIA chief William Colby. Reuters reported that an FBI computer edited an article on the United States prison at Guantanamo Bay.

This happened 19 years ago. Even though WikiScanner is no longer around and technology has changed, companies, organizations, and even individuals tried to pull a fast one by knowingly editing content that they believed could be done anonymously. By doing so, they were able to post edits that favored their points of view or their"truth". They were also able to alter information against rivals, enemies, or those they wanted to embarrass, etc. Given the same opportunity now, I can see this continuing to happen... 

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." --- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. 

This aphorism was coined by the French critic, journalist, and novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr who originally wrote the phrase in French as "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" in the January 1849 issue of his satirical journal, Les Guêpes (The Wasps).

One Glove

Economy Class Seating (Pan Am; late 1960s)

"Frog Applause" Trending?

Holy Heck. How is this even possible? Besides, 56 comments isn't anywhere near 261... is this a pity trending moment?

Subscriber Fluctuations

As of 2016, it was reported that there were 44,000 subscribers worldwide (Wikipedia). I wonder what that figure is now, particularly after an unpopular relaunch.

I took a screenshot of everything (above and below) so it wouldn't be as easy to find unless one is looking for it... or is sweeping the internet for keywords. I was shocked... completely shocked... when "Frog Applause" was mentioned in the fourth paragraph above. Huh?! OMG. Why?

*As usual, a typo is in the first line/question... "cause" instead of "caused."  I'm hopeless.
 

Since 'The Conjurers" were mentioned as well, I found this explanation:

_________________________________________________________________

I either forgot or I don't remember hearing anything about why "The Conjurers" didn't return. I'm still numb when I think about what all my readers did to save me from the chopping block. I also remember "The Daily Cartoonist" (see bottom of story) giving me quite a bit of space to discuss my cancellation and later my return. 

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2020/09/27/gocomics-dropping-frog-applause-the-conjurers-others-connie-to-the-wonnie-drops-gocomics/

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2020/09/30/frog-applause-to-remain-on-gocomics/

I'm not sure if I wrote about any of this recently. After being away from "Frog Applause" and "Frog Blog" for a while, many things that I should remember are almost new to me now, as crazy as that sounds. Forgive me if I am boring any one with all of this. The only thing I recall vividly is receiving an email telling me that BOTH of my strips were being canceled. It hit like a ton of bricks and a "Dear John" letter combined. I remember crying, too. Inconsolably. 

After a while, though, I tried to understand the rationale. GC was trying to save money by cutting back on their lineup... and my comics were, apparently, both highly dispensable and easily disposed of (press some buttons... no comic, no archive.)

The intent to cancel "Shoecabbage" didn't hit me as hard because it was in reruns, but "Frog Applause" was appearing daily and I was trying my best to build a readership and all that comes with that. Most of all, I had grown attached to my many long-time readers and the thought of losing that daily connection was just too much to think about. 

Ultimately, "Frog Applause" was the only comic marked for cancellation to survive the cuts. "Shoecabbage" was canceled, but it had its day I told myself.  

I will never, ever, forget what my lame readers did for me. The power of lame took over and... here I still are (sic)!!!. My medical hiatus wasn't exactly planned, but it was necessary to get myself cancer-free and get my energy back. I'm not going anywhere, my friends, as long as you continue to tolerate me and my lame comic.

GoCreator Members and Photos

Teresa Burritt (Frog Applause)

Founder, Organizer, Member Recruitment

Co-Founding member:

Eric Scott (Ike, 1 and Done) 

Current GoCreator Members:

Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate)

John McPherson (Close to Home)

Wiley (Non Sequitur)

Georgia Dunn (Breaking Cat News)

Michael Cavna (Warped)

Steenz Stewart (Heart of the City)

Jesse Atwell (Tex) 

Tauhid Bondia (Crabgrass)

Amanda El-Dweek (Amanda the Great) 

Dave Whamond (Reality Check, Day by Dave) 

Samuli Lintula (Dark Side of the Horse) 

Pat Sandy (Next Door Neighbors)

Allison Garwood (Neurotica, Petunia & Dre)

Jonathan Lemon (Rabbits Against Magic, Alley Oop)

Tom Toro (Home Free)

Nancy Beiman (FurBabies)

Hector D. Cantú (Baldo)

Luca Debus (Wannabe)

Christiann MacAuley (Sticky Comics)

Frank Page (Bob the Squirrel)

Lela Lee (Angry Little Girls)

Todd Clark (Lola)

Dana Maier (The Worried Well)

Angie Bailey (Texts from Mittens)

Dan Collins (Looks Good on Paper)

Doug Savage (Savage Chickens)

Mike Baldwin (Cornered)

Dan Thompson (Rip Haywire, Brevity)

Mark Parisi (Off the Mark)

Jennifer Babcock (C'est la Vie)

Chris Giarrusso (G-Man Webcomics)

Ralph Hagen (The Barn)

David Fletcher (Crumb)

Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man)

Rich Powell (Wide Open)

Hameed "Ham" Khan (Life on Earth)

Dave Blazek (Loose Parts)

Wayne "Wayno" Honath (WaynoVision)

Ken Cursoe (Tiny Sepuku)

Maria Scrivan (Half Full)

Tim Rickard (Brewster Rockit)

John Lustig (Last Kiss)

Greg Cravens (The Buckets)

John Kovaleski (Bo Nanas)

Bob Holt (Sweet and Sour Pork)

Jackie E. Davis (Underpants and Overbites)

Mark Leiknes (Cow & Boy)

Jef Mallet (Frazz)

Stephen Beals (Adult Children)

Justin Thompson (MythTickle)

Tim Jones (Sour Grapes)

GoCreator Supporters:

GoCreator Supporters enthusiastically support our

group and other creators, but they... rarely, if ever, 

leave comments on the pages of other creators

or on the GoComics website. They have their

reasons. Don't judge. We don't!

Clay Jones (Clay Jones)

Ruben Bolling (Tom the Dancing Bug, Super-Fun-Pak-Comix)

Nicholas Gurewitch (Perry Bible Fellowship)

Brian Crane (Pickles)

Robb Armstrong (JumpStart)

Silent GoCreator Members: 

Shhhh. We also have three "Silent Supporters." We can't tell you 

who they are or why they must remain in the background, but 

they are supporting our group  just the same. If a tree falls in the 

GoComics forest.... Hey, every group needs some intrigue and our 

claim to fame is that we have three super-secret members! Legends, too. 

"Count us as 'Silent Supporters' or 

“We’re there for you even though we’re not there.”

Honorary GoCreator Members: 

D.D. Degg  (The Daily Cartoonist)

David Stanford (aide-de-camp, doonesbury.com)

Tom Heintjes (Hogan's Alley, hoganmag.com)

GoCreator Liasion: (Former)

Tom Brantman (Director of Product Management at 

Andrews McMeel Universal) Tom helped to design our pin 

and get us the necessary funds from AMU to 

pay for our lovely pins. Sadly, Tom is no longer with AMU.

GoCreator Liaison (Current)

Sarah Hicks (Senior Client and Consumer 

Operations Specialist at Andrews McMeel Universal)

Total members so far: 64

Eric Scott and his GoCreator pin

The Birdman of Alcatraz

Eric is a Co-Founding member of GoCreators!

Luca Debus and his GoCreator pin

This is Luca Debus of "Wannabe" with his GoCreator pin of immeasurable value and worth!

"I finally got the pin! It arrived this morning. I had to pay 10 bucks for silly German customs.... but it's totally WORTH IT!"

We think it's worth it, too, Luca. We are so happy that you are a member of our little GoCreator group. 

Ham's Homemade GoCreator pin

Hameed ("Ham") Khan of "Life with Ham" has had nothing but difficulty getting his official and richly-deserved GoCreator pin. Ham is a full-fledged member of our creators group and was sent a pin to his home in
Argentina. Unfortunately, customs confiscated his pin until he agreed to pay a fee. Ham was onboard to pay that fee, but--for whatever reason-- they wouldn't accept his payment. It's all so confusing. Out of frustration, Ham decided to make his own GoCreator pin. We love it. I wish we could figure out a way for Ham to get his official pin, though. (Sigh.)

Pat Sandy and his GoCreator pin

Samuli Lintula (aka Samson's) GoCreator Pin

Samuli's cat Halla checking out his prized GoCreator pin. Halla (Finnish for "frost") is a neutered male. 

Wiley Miller's GoCreator pin

Nicholas Gurewitch and his GoCreator pin...

Nicholas Gurewitch of Perry Bible Fellowship. (We're waving back atya, Nick.) 

Dana Maier's GoCreator pin

Check out Dana Maier of The Worried Well on GoComics. Great to have you onboard with us, Dana.

The GoCreator pin belonging to Tom Heintjes

Tom is an honorary GoCreator member. He is the editor of the magazine "Hogan's Alley."
 

Mark Leiknes and his GoCreator pin...

Thank you, Mark. Beautiful work! We love having you as a GoCreator. (Cow & Boy)

Lincoln Peirce and his GoCreator pin...

Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate) is all smiles wearing his GoCreator pin. Love it

Wayno and his GoCreator pin...

The amazing Wayno (WaynoVision and Bizarro) and his GoCreator pin-o... 

Jonathan Lemon's GoCreator pin

Frank Page's GoCreator pin

The GoCreator pin belonging to Steenz...

Here is the beautiful and talented Steenz (Heart of the City). Your GoCreator pin looks great, Steenz. 

Dan Collins and his GoCreator pin...

John Kovaleski and his GoCreator pin...

Jesse Atwell's GoCreator pin...

Amanda El-Dweek with her GoCreator pin...

I just love Amanda. She's such a kind and genuine person. She really is "Amanda the Great"!

I recognize the GoComics pin. I'm still waiting to find out about the other two pins.

Update from Amanda: The skeleton pin is Teresa Logan's design (she draws Laughing Redhead Comics on GC). The gold pin is a Monstrance which contains our Eucharistic Lord (Catholic thing). 

Mike Baldwin and his GoCreator pin

Mike Lester and his GoCreator pin

Nancy Beiman and her GoCreator pin...

Dan Thompson's GoCreator pin...

David Fletcher and his GoCreator pin (sort of)...

Not the actual pin, but a drawing of it. Thank you, David.

GoCreator pin belonging to Greg Cravens...

Thanks for the photo and the peek at your work, Greg. 

The main impetus of being a GoCreator is encouraging and supporting other creators. It's not about me, me, me. I'm proud to have encouraged Shannon to delve into his studio archive and start posting "new" content on his GoComics page. I can't believe that these gems have been denied an audience. Shannon's dark, weird, and even scatological sense of humor appeals to me. It's not easy to make me laugh... or even smile. Check out "Too Much Coffee Man." Visit Shannon's website here.

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Stephen Beals with his GoCreator pin

We're proud to have Stephen Beals of Adult Children as a GoCreator on GoComics. Are you able to balance a spoon on your nose at the same time, Stephen? We need to know...

Clay Jones with his GoCreator pin

GoClay! 

John McPherson's GoCreator pin

Happy to finally share the GoCreator pin photo of the amazingly talented John McPherson of "Close to Home."

D.D. Degg's GoCreator pin

Honorary GoCreator member D.D. Degg of "The Daily Cartoonist." This award was recently given to Degg by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (2023).

https://lamefrogapplause.blogspot.com/2023/09/gocreator-members-updated.html

I've had at least two "Frog Applause" readers comment that this award looks like a deadly weapon.